Penny Marathon
Penny Marathon returns every July at the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center (SNFCC)
Penny Marathon at the SNFCC! (2024) by Photographer: Danai KokkinakiStavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center
This run aims to raise awareness about the plight of stray animals in Greece and to acknowledge the efforts of the hundreds of volunteers working tirelessly to ensure their well-being.
Penny Marathon at the SNFCC! (2024) by Photographer: Danai KokkinakiStavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center
Participants may choose to run, cycle, or walk a distance of 10 kilometres or 1 kilometre. The 1-kilometre route is ideal for families and for those who wish to run with their dogs!
Penny Marathon at the SNFCC! (2023) by Photographer: Danai KokkinakiStavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center
The Penny Marathon began in Athens in 2012 as an initiative by two Greek-Australians who wanted to draw attention to the suffering of stray animals—a global issue, with more than 600 million strays worldwide.
Penny Marathon at the SNFCC! (2025) by Photographer: Danai KokkinakiStavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center
The race is named after Penny, a dog who, like so many others, did not survive the streets of Athens. Entirely volunteer-run, the Penny Marathon now takes place annually in countries around the world—including Australia and Germany.
Penny Marathon at the SNFCC! (2024) by Photographer: Danai KokkinakiStavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center
Funds raised through donations go toward all stages of animal rescue, including emergency veterinary care, food, neutering, vaccinations, and more.
Penny Marathon at the SNFCC! (2024) by Photographer: Danai KokkinakiStavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center
As part of the Penny Marathon, participants will have the chance to explore the sport of dog agility through a specially designed obstacle course featuring jumps, tunnels, seesaws, slaloms and dog walks!
Penny Marathon at the SNFCC! (2024) by Photographer: Danai KokkinakiStavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center
Who is Penny?
As narrated by Eleftheria Prodromou, Founder of Penny Marathon
Penny Marathon at the SNFCC! (2024) by Photographer: Danai KokkinakiStavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center
"In 2008, I stumbled across a small dog at work in the outskirts of Athens. This sweet little thing would meet me every morning as I got off the bus. Her eyes would flitter in recognition and love, and she knew that I knew who she was and that we were friends."
Penny Marathon at the SNFCC! (2025) by Photographer: Danai KokkinakiStavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center
"And I would bring her food and clean water and she would show her gratitude. Eventually, I came to call her Penny."
Penny Marathon at the SNFCC! (2024) by Photographer: Danai KokkinakiStavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center
"Looking back, there were many times in which my heart sank at the sight of an abandoned dog and cat on an Athenian street. There were many times I turned a blind eye."
Penny Marathon at the SNFCC! (2023) by Photographer: Danai KokkinakiStavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center
"There was nothing I could do, I would say to myself. But Penny was the one that stole my heart. She was special to me. No one but me."
Penny Marathon at the SNFCC! (2023) by Photographer: Danai KokkinakiStavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center
"One day Penny was not waiting for me at the bus stop. A security guard at the gate gestured towards a corpse lying in the gutter on the side of the road."
Penny Marathon at the SNFCC! (2024) by Photographer: Danai KokkinakiStavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center
"She had probably been hit by a car and left there for the council’s cleaning trucks to dispose of when they got around to it."
Penny Marathon at the SNFCC! (2024) by Photographer: Danai KokkinakiStavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center
"We buried Penny at a spot near my old office. I named this marathon in her honour. I will forever feel an enormous sense of guilt for not having provided Penny with a safe home, and now live life as a person who has learned from that mistake."
Penny Marathon at the SNFCC! (2024) by Photographer: Danai KokkinakiStavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center
"There are no pictures of Penny. But my friend and illustrator, Panayiotis Lyris, has come up with an image based on my memories of her."
Penny Marathon at the SNFCC! (2024) by Photographer: Danai KokkinakiStavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center
"Penny's image will feature in a book we hope to create together, in which Penny learns to navigate the streets of Athens with the help of her new stray friends."
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